Some load calc opinions?

[e57]

Working on a spread sheet for doing load calcs so the PM's can get some easy input/output on service sizing when bidding. As often most of the equipment is not known up-front during budgeting it would not need to be exact, and require a disclaimer with it.... Since the company I work for does mostly custom residential - these homes are often far in excess of the code required min's for 3va/sq' - some often have AV equipment that dwarfs the KVA needed for a typical home in total, and lighting so over the top that if all the lights were on it would be closer to 30+va/sq' in lighting alone.

Anyone have any quick/easy 'factors' for the excessive loads of the rich and famous? :grin:

 

[charlie]

. . . Anyone have any quick/easy 'factors' for the excessive loads of the rich and famous? :grin:

It is rare that the optional calculations don't give you a smaller service calculation that the Part III method and they are better when you consider that services are drastically oversized when done in accordance with the NEC. I don't have any quick/easy 'factors' but the optional calculations are the way to go. :smile:

 

[Fulthrotl]

Anyone have any quick/easy 'factors' for the excessive loads of the rich and famous? :grin:

well, your choice is single phase, 200 or 400 amp service, yes?

medium bling, 200 amp service.

maximum bling, 400 amp service, with two 200 amp subpanels.
or get the one with 400 amp, with the two panels integral.
that gives you 84 spaces, without doubling.

above that, and you are at 400 amp 3 phase, which should only be
necessary if the blingee has krell amps in the home theatre.

if krell's are the case, don't worry about it. he has more money than
sense, and more money than god, and as those amps draw 30 amps
of 240 each, and you need 7 of them for the full surround experience,
plus 30 amps for the subs, you need 300 amps of single phase. for the amps.
as the amps are 15kw per channel, you can input smooth jazz into one of
them, and use it as a welder, if need be.

so... 5 choices.

mini bling: 200a. 1 phase
mega bling: 400a, 1 phase
mega bling overkill: 400a, 1 phase, 2 200a. subpanels
mega bling krell amps: 400a 3 phase 208v
mega bling krell godzilla amps: 1000a 3 phase 208v

 

[Smart $]

mega bling krell godzilla amps: 1000a 3 phase 208v

Anything over that, I'll be able to hear it at my house... and I reside in Ohio :grin:

...but then again, that would be short lived as the sonic vibrations would cause a breach in the San Andreas fault line, and thereafter affecting only whale migration in the Pacific

 

[Fulthrotl]

Anything over that, I'll be able to hear it at my house... and I reside in Ohio :grin:

...but then again, that would be short lived as the sonic vibrations would cause a breach in the San Andreas fault line, and thereafter affecting only whale migration in the Pacific

we can only hope..... actually, the things are so heavy that it'll cause the
edge of the country to just snap off.... 750 lbs each.

 

[LawnGuyLandSparky]

You guys can joke about it all you want, someday that fault is gonna give, and the entire country east of the San Andreas is gonna plunge into the Atlantic Ocean.

 

[e57]

It is rare that the optional calculations don't give you a smaller service calculation that the Part III method and they are better when you consider that services are drastically oversized when done in accordance with the NEC. I don't have any quick/easy 'factors' but the optional calculations are the way to go. :smile:

Here I have to disagree with you.... Some of these 'single family dwellings' are way over the top! While I agree the NEC sizes are great for the average guy - some of the homes are just not average. Unless you factor in the real lighting and real use some-how it might come back to bite you on say, X-mas eve....

A while back I had a service call where an EC sized sq' and it needed much much more. A 320/400 with 2-200s holding 230 and 260 - the 260 with trip after a while during this guys BBQ's.... I get there, and he's got all the AC cranked, stream, hot tub, sauna, pool pumps going and every light in the house on. Which may have been fine if it were not for the caterers, who were all over the place looking for any circuit that would hold.

Current project is 10k sq' but well over 200a in lighting alone. Had I done that with just the NEC min service size - the first party would be embarassing.